***The Official Football Manager Thread***

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Got saddled with another toughie draw in the Champions League.

At this point though, it's all tough. Still trying to figure out how Leverkusen is seeded #1....they did win the league a couple years ago in a fluke.

Speaking of flukes, Celtic's stranglehold of the SPL was finally broken by Ra....St. Johnstone?!?!?!?!

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***



Heartbreak, I should take a break from FM.

well, that was long enough, back to work.

I had forgotten I requested this, it finally happened! From the 11k seater, to the 25k seater

[gopher_guy]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Well, I didn't get relegated!

So this was Year 4 with Oxford (recently managed my 200th game at the club), and our first year in the Championship. I actually was sitting pretty comfortably in the mid table (around 13-15) for quite a few weeks, but had a terrible last month or two, dropping down to 18th.

Sunderland was in the drop zone almost the entire season, but they won 3 of their last 4 to just barely escape a drop to League 1, just two years after being relegated from the EPL.

Sold my goalie, who was among the best players on my team. Benjamin Siegrist; he was an Aston Villa cast-off. Got him on a free transfer 2 years ago, and I sold him for $2.3m to QPR! Nice to get a profit like that from a player who cost me nothing.

I actually have a transfer budget of $2.54m this upcoming year, so I should be able to go out and buy a pretty decent player, rather than relying fully on free transfers like I have been.

I'm kind of at a crossroads with a couple positions right now. My fullbacks, and one of my strikers (I run two up top) are aging badly. I might try to loan someone from the EPL just to cover for the season at one of those spots.

Gunning for a comfortable mid-table finish next season.

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

I had Benjamin Siegrist in my Viborg save, good GK, I sold him after a year for £1m.

here's my new stadium in all of it's glory

[Kobalt]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

FM'd



Clear cut chances was 8-2 in my favor too.

[gopher_guy]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

That skin is awesome.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

At the halfway point of the season....

Board asked, and I said sure, let's raise our expectations...we're putting in a title challenge this season. They opened up the coffers and we're making a run for the Bundesliga. Leading at the halfway point of the season, and I have two victories over Bayern this season (Super Cup and a 1-0 home victory in league play).

Champions League group was a two horse race between us and Arsenal. Dnipro and Anderlecht were absolutely zero competition (in four matches, the score was 18-3). Arsenal torched us at Emirates 3-1. We beat them 2-0 on Match Day 6 to win the group on goal differential. Up next is Galatasaray.

Bruma has come back from a horrific broken leg suffered last season and is picking up right where he left off. The Portuguese winger is leading both my goal scoring and assist charts with 12 and 8 respectively. Arsenal are sniffing around during the winter transfer period...and he wants to go to Arsenal if they issue a bid. Hopefully, they stay away (unless they want to trigger his release clause of $64 million....I only spent $9 million for him....that'd be a healthy profit).

Finally got an international gig....well a part time one anyways. You're looking at the new guy who's going to lead the USA to the Olympics.

And Jurgen Klinsmann has made his way back to Germany, signing on to become the head coach of Hertha BSC, who are firmly entrenched in a relegation battle. It's not been easy sledding for Klinsmann, who resigned the USA post after failing to get out of the group at Copa America in 2016 and then fired by Orlando City. I look forward to beating him down in league action.

As for that other Jurgen...after Dortmund jettisoned him off, he amazingly went back to where it all started at Mainz, where he steered them clear of the relegation zone and looked to solidify their place in the Bundesliga.....

Until Manchester United came calling after the Roberto Mancini experiment lasted all of 178 days following the retirement of LVG after he won the league in 15-16 and road off into the sunset. Klopp hasn't won a single piece of hardware in his 3.5 years at United, but he salvaged a 4th place finish in his first season, and has had consecutive 3rd place finishes the next two seasons. This season, United are destroying the competition behind the goal scoring of Domenico Berardi and Harry Kane (16 and 15 respectively). Juan Mata has loved playing under Klopp, collecting 38 assists the previous two seasons and had six this season before breaking his leg.

Someone who didn't love playing under Klopp was Wayne Rooney, who fell out of favor and is currently struggling to score goals for Aston Villa.

I love looking at how the universe is unfolding around the world.

[Paul21694]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Liverpool signing Klopp has inspired me to get back into my save. Decided to finally have a dedicated away tactic focusing on solid defense with a rapid offensive trio/quartet.

It's basically a 4-2-1-3 with an anchor man and a regista, with a deep lying playmaker ahead. The full backs stay back with wingers ahead of them cutting inside to supply the trequartista. Substitutes play a huge role because the system works the opposition defence a lot by stretching them and forcing them back constantly, so bringing pace in after the hour works a treat.

Played 5 games since I restarted using a mix of my new tactic and a similar, more attacking system with one DM and two MC.
The first was against Everton at Goodison, a place I generally struggle to create. No different here, switching to Counter early in the second half after a goalless first half. It ended 1-0 with an Angelo Henriquez goal after a quick counter, slipped in by Coutinho.

The next game was against Napoli in the CL. This was using my attacking tactic and it worked a charm, taking the lead through Berardi 2 minutes into first half stoppage time. Then Sterling's pace won a penalty in the second minute of the second half which Berardi converted. Finally, Pogba connected with a header from a right sided corner 15 minutes from time to get his first goal after struggling with injury early on for us.

The third game was at home against Arsenal. The Napoli result inspired me to attack, and we found ourselves 2-0 up from Sterling and Berardi within half an hour. However, Lorenzo Insigne struck a free kick early in the second half to make it 2-1. On the hour one of my centre backs was sent off, so I adjusted to the defensive formation, modifying it to one centre back with the DMs sitting deeper to cover, setting ourselves up as defensive and highly structured which paid off as we scraped the victory.

Game number 4 was against Celtic and was the worst of the games. Electing to attack due to their struggles in the group, we were 3-1 down after an your despite taking the lead early on. Again, a switch to the defensive system as well as introducing more pace in the centre and up front, two of the subs managed to score with the replacement striker, a regen named Mior, scoring and assisting.

Game 5 was another place I struggle, St James Park. I chose to go defensive and began to doubt my new tactic when they took the lead early on through a very poor defensive lapse. However, a headed goal from a corner and a Sterling strike 10 minutes before half time swung the game in our favour. Pogba, dominating the game in the Regista role, converted a penalty won by Mior with some smart movement in the box. Coutinho took down a long pass before smartly curling in before Mior added his own goal to wrap up a very promising performance from him, his first league goal.

[Kobalt]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Finally won one of these international competitions.



Resigned and then took Cameroon's job and trying to get them to the WC. They have a better squad than Ivory Coast.

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***



I think this is a first, normally a player will at least play one game for the club, but I think this is the first time he spent all five years on loan.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

I hate Jose Mourinho, both in real life and in FM (he's modeled so accurately lol).

Champions League Semi Finals, Leg 1 @ Chelsea

This match was a disaster from the start for us. By half time, it was 4-0 and then Mourinho called off the dogs. We couldn't keep possession, we couldn't mark, I used all three of my subs at halftime because I was that knackered at the team. This after we had run off a string of eight straight wins in league play.

Jose claims he is amazing and that I suck. Well, he's kinda right after this day.

Champions League Semi Finals, Leg 2 @ Schalke, Chelsea leading 4-0 on aggregate.

Jose continuing his claims in the media that he invented the game of football (I may be embellishing, but whatever). I say f*** it, we'll just go all out and see what happens because I'm sure he'll try to park three buses in the penalty box.

3rd minute: Winger Bruma scores on a free kick from 24 yards out. 4-1
6th minute: Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta mishandles the ball, Max Meyer jumps all over it and beats the keeper. 4-2
18th minute: Former Schalke man Matilja Nastasic clears the ball right to Lewis Holtby, who applies the finish. 4-3
20th minute: Divock Origi blasts a shot that deflects off Nastasic and pass the keeper.

OMFG!!!!! In 20 minutes, we have completely undone the disaster of Leg 1 and we have a new match. Suck it Mourinho! Of course, it's Mourinho so......

21st minute: THAT WAS NEVER A PENALTY!!!!!!!!!!! F YOU EDEN HAZARD!!!!!!!!!!

Our play evens off and it becomes a slugfest. Second half, Chelsea go even more defensive (their heat map almost looks like they are playing a 7-man back line) and I just start teeing off on their goal. Shot after shot...save after save. Damn, Courtois really ate his Wheaties at half time.

We need two goals to overcome the referee that Mourinho probably greased pre-match. We finally breakthrough in the 84th minute when Jonathan Tah cleans up the garbage on a set piece. 5-5, but we're down on away goals thanks to that stupid penalty.

90th minute, I'm throwing the kitchen sink, the flamethrower, even trying to sneak fans onto the pitch to get an extra attacker. OMG ORIGI GOT FREE....WE'RE GOING TO W...HOW THE HELL DID CORTOIS FLY ACROSS THE GOAL LIKE THAT!?!?!?!?!?! F THIS GAME!!!!!!!!!!!! OH BRUMA GOT FREE...WE'RE GOING TO.....HOW DID HE GET TO THAT SHOT!?!?!?!?! IS HE FRICKING SPIDER MAN?!?!?!?! GORETZKA HAS THE BALL....MEYER IS OPEN PASS HIM THE BA.....NO, WHY WOULD YOU SHOOT FROM ALL THE WAY OUT THERE INTO THE 10TH ROW....YOU ARE GOING TO FREAKING SIBERIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Losing to Chelsea...it hurts. Losing like we did, on a controversial penalty (yes, I blasted the referee in the media and UEFA was mum about it) and with Mourinho gloating about how he is the greatest despite losing leg 2 5-1 and the one was caused by the 12th man on the pitch......well, I might need to go to Sibera with Goretzka and get two cases of Russian vodka.

[Bellsprout]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

I've always been terrible at this game.

Really bad.

So this, I don't know how this happened. But my god it feels good.



Only lost two league matches all season.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

*sees "Premier Division"* *twitches*

[Bellsprout]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

*sees "Premier Division"* *twitches*

I'M LAZY

Spoiler

Bayern just eliminated me from the semis of the Champions CUP

[Bellsprout]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Ended up on exactly 100 points which FM tells me was easily the record and I beat that rat Mourinho in the FA Cup Final on pens.

Mourinho talks so much **** about me man. I hate him.